Basic Ethics Flashcards
Applied ethics
discussion of ethical approaches to specific problems of living
Aretaic ethics
term for virtue ethics which concentrates on the goodness of the person rather than the action
Deontic ethics
any type of ethics, such as Kantianism or Utilitarianism which emphasises the actions to be performed
Deontological theories
any ethical system which ignores the outcomes, focusing on whether the act itself is good
Divine Command Theory
something is right because God commands it. this view is rejected by most Christian philosophers
Emotivism
an ethical statement merely shows an emotion and has no factual justification
Natural Law Theory
moral rightness can be determined through careful reflection on the facts of the world: “right reason in accordance with nature”
Normative ethics
theories of ethics which give guidance (norms) on how we should behave along with character traits
Relativism
rightness is culturally or religiously determined therefore incompatibility is justified
Subjectivism
something is right because I say so and for no other reason (Jean-Paul Satre)
Existentialism
a philosophical movement that believes that the universe just exists and has no meaning in itself
Teleological theories
any theory in which goodness or rightness is determined by the outcome
Utilitarianism
the moral doctrine that one should always seek the greatest balance of good over evil
Vulgar Relativism
all beliefs are relative so should be tolerated. this is contradictory because tolerance would be an universal value
Ethics
a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending ideas of right and wrong, often addressing disputes of moral diversity
Is-Ought Fallacy
David Hume
when people debate a moral issue they begin with facts and slide into conclusion that are NORMATIVE- conclusions about how things OUGHT TO BE. facts alone cannot make NORMATIVE CONCLUSIONS.
Absolutism
right and wrong are fixed- moral facts just exist.
Ethical absolutism
a command that is true for all times, all places, all situations and does not change due to culture. certain actions are intrinsically right and wrong.
Moral absolutism
gives people clear guidelines for behaviour, accepts a universal set of absolutes.
Strengths of absolutism
fixed ethical code, can judge other cultures as wrong, supports universal rules.
Weaknesses of absolutism
no account of circumstances e.g. self defence in murder, intolerant of cultural values.